7 Things You Didn’t Know About Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand’s bustling metropolis, is a known for its upscale restaurants, chic nightclubs, vibrant markets, sprawling shopping malls and more! An ideal destination for a variety of travellers – right from backpackers, to honeymooning couples, to people travelling with families, there is no dearth of places to see and things to do in Bangkok. Thanks to the plethora of points of interest like Lumphini Park, Safari World, Bangkok National Museum, Dusit Zoo, Suan Pakkad Palace, and so on, Bangkok tourism is booming with every passing year.

Listed here are some significant facts about Bangkok, read them to know more about this amazing city, up, close and personal!

Visit the world’s largest weekend market – Chatuchak Weekend Market

Sharpen you bargaining skills and load your wallet with an obscene amount of money, for the shopaholic in you is in for a treat. Visit the world’s largest weekend market – Chatuchak Weekend Market, located right in the heart of the city. The market is spread in over 27 acres of land and is divided into 27 sections. You would be delighted to know that the weekend market offers you mind-blowing deals along with some lip-smacking food. Needless to say, a trip to Bangkok is incomplete without visiting this place.

Bangkok is sinking

Did you know that this sprawling metropolis is sinking at a rate of 2 to 2.5 cm per year, thanks to all heavy development and rising sea levels? Researchers say in next 15 yrs, the city could be completely immersed underwater. Thinking of visiting Bangkok? There is no better time than now.

Weirdest laws!

If there was some award for weirdest laws, Bangkok, or Thailand for that matter, would have won, hands down. Sample a few of them – stepping on Thai currency is illegal, it’s a crime to leave your home without an underwear on, you must must wear a shirt while driving a car and many more like these. Oh, and did we mention – you must refrain from making any defamatory statements about the King and other members of the Thai royal family, else you could be sentenced for for up to 3 to 15 years in prison!

Home to the largest Gold Buddha

Grandeur and Bangkok are almost synonymous, take the example of the famous ‘Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon’ or ‘The Golden Buddha’ which, by the way, is the largest gold Buddha statue in the world.

Standing 9.8 feet tall and weighing around 5.5 tons, the estimated value of this beautiful structure is 250 million dollars.

City of Millionaires

Want to know where the crème de la crème of Thailand lives? Yes, you guessed it right – the happening city of Bangkok. Well, with every 13th person of the total population residing in Bangkok, this is not much of a surprise, is it?

Need a permit to take certain items out of the country

Bangkok is a mind-blowing shopping destination, no denying that. But, if there are specific items you are looking to buy such as images of the Buddha, religious art or antiques, you cannot do that without a permit. Make sure you have all necessary permissions and documents before you head towards the airport. Contact ‘Foreign and Commonwealth Office’ (FCO) for more information on this.